At the ninth hour

I decide to work on my swap which is due (like in the mail) June 15. But I am so proud of myself. I did like niki said, find a pattern you like and a stitch pattern that fits within that pattern and go to work (of course i am paraphrasing). So I took my favorite bootie pattern, garter stitch slik slippers and a stitch pattern that is worked over an odd number of stitches (the current one is mock rib but I have like five patterns) and Viola! I so love it when I do a niki knits design. I wanted to make a tank top the same way but I am too lazy to swatch.

I am all about the fabric now

So now that my machine working I have a made a blanket and now two dresses. They are bit big but still cute. Mine can be big I need room to grow but the baby's I am going to tighten hers up. Hers is a dress and mine is a shirt. Not bad two items for 17 and some change. Now I am all about fabric now that my machine is working.

A Change in Pace

I made a blanket for my own baby!. I am trying to recover my high chair and looking for neutral fabric for that i came across a Winnie the Pooh panel. I bought that and some cute yellow fabric to back it. i completed it last night in about an hour. It needs to be quilted. I need some easy quilting suggestions. I already want to make another one! Hancocks had a cute Duck panel too. Plus it was 30% off. I am actually up to two blankets for the baby.

Ok

I did not cry but i was about to thanks so much for everyone suggestions and believeme i was going to call. But I was like I will be damned if I let this pattern beat me! I got thinking about it and i felt so stupid why didi I not cast on magic loop way. Crimson Purl told me like magic loop. So I tried agin it didi not work stitches were too tight on the 15's. I said ok try the 5's the yarn calls for 4-5 i just want to cast on inthe round without twisting. and would you believe it worked! now mind you it is way small but cute. I am or should say may make it out of the white cotton /acrylic I got from WS. it looks big enough to fit QueenBW lillte girl. I thought it was going to fit mine but I was quickly mistaken. So i went to the oringal plan. Still thinking that Iwas going to make a sweater for me. I went to AC Moore bought longer 15's 3 balls of microspun (all with 50% coupon I am not rich) Came home and got to it. Still did not work. I refuse to buy the metal 15's ( I will next time) I think I cast on to tight. I swear it is the needles. ANyway I casted on with my 10's they are metal and I am now about halfway though a cute striped sweater for Lela. Now I casted on for a size 14-18 but since i casted on with 10's it fits lela better than me go figure the top is a bit big but it will work but she doesn't really have anything to wera with it but that is neither here nor there. I am just glad I hung in there I did not let this pattern beat me. AC Moore has 6 colors of microspun i need to find a new source. What i do about my too tight cast on for the 15's so that I can make a sweater for me? Thanks again everybody for all your help!

I have reached frustration

I am about to tears. I am up to row 9 and my tee is till twisted! what do I do!!!! is it becasue i do not have a 24" circular needle? ok i have eaten a few cookies and calmed down. This is not the first project I had to rip back serveral times before i got it right now i blame the hormones. I called my LYS and she said it is probably the acrylic in the cotton that is making it twist but to also pullout a long strand of yarn before joining my round. This is truly frustrating! And I call myself creative!

Fine Line?

Is there a fine line between creativity and frustration? I am trying my best to make this ballet tee. One I have yet to knit in the round. I played that off with once I did not knit. I casted on 68 sts and began knitting in the round (thank you Crimson Purl) and got to about row 6 when I realized that my sts were twisted. I took it down and did it again I think I am at row three and through both rows just a praying please don’t be twisted. I thought I was going to do seed stitch for those first two rows. Fooled me I need to concentrate on not twisting my stitches. Maybe I will pickup and knit a decorative border on the top and bottom but for now let me just get the sweater done. I could not wait till Sat to get the yarn I am actually supposed use (microspun) so I started with the white cotton acrylic I bought from WS and that is a really pretty bright white. I am doubling it and it is looking kind of thick but I am afraid to do single because I think it may be too loose. I don’t know. But I worked so hard on the pattern which is going like a charm (thank you Noelle Noodle) the actual one I want to do is a Fibonacci striped tee in the colors green white and yellow. The one I am working on now I will keep going till I run out of yarn.

Status

This is the lining for the bag. I am at 3 1/2" of 12". I may use this button on the outside. I thought the button was so pretty i just had to buy it. The bag is moving slowly it might be becasue i am moving slowly. I do about two to three rows a day. I only need 14 repeats and I am at like 5 or 6. I got the fabric at a yard sale for free. and I actually have enough for my bag. I thought i was going to have to add some to the sides but i am good!. I don't even care that it is pink and green (cuz you know they don't match (a little delta humor))I am debating between this button and the little plastic elephants i had made a while back i have not used yet.

Change in plans

I am still making the sak like bag but instead of using the cotton/acrylic I bought from knit picky I went and bought some crochet nylon thread from AC Moore. AC Moore had a 50% off coupon (thanks Nik) and I got two balls for the price of one I could not resist. And now my bag will be very close to the actual thing. But I may make a pinwheel blanket out of my cotton something will come of the that yarn.

My NCEE Meeting

I got many compliments on my sweater wrap and bag. I even learned how to do the magic loop (thank you Crimson Purl) and here are my spoils. Some white cotton acrylic. That I will be making an oversized clutch with. I want to use the pattern Sak used on their tote. Mine will be a clutch it will not have the strap like theirs but it will be cute and non fuzzy!

Now the ladies in Knit Picky (a yarn shop in Winston Salem) asked about my sweater and I showed them that it was a piece of a sweater not a real one and they were amazed. One lady said it put her in mind of a dickey. Many poeple were amazed that it was not a real sweater and that it only took me like two days to make it!

My attempt at a pinwheel sweater was going well but I messed up on the last row somehow. I noiticed my YO was not in the same palce as the other YO then it dawned on me that by time I finish the sweater it will be hot and she probalby will not be able to fit anyway. but I was real happy that i learned how to do the magic loop . My new goal is to do a bag with the magic loop no more making the base and picking up stitches. Well not really now I can knit a round bag instead of the square bags I have been making. How about a pinwheel bag! and I thought about making a pinwheel blanket! How would you make a hat do you bring it out as wide as you want then start decreasing? All i know is that now a whole new world has been opened up to me now that I can patterns that ask for DPNS. Go ME! Oh yeah thank you again Crimson Purl for showing me how!

Create your own topsy turvy planter

This man Matt has created an inverted planter. I am going to try it tonight! Right now my strawberries are struggling in the kitchen so they can do no worse. I want them outside but I need to find somewhere to hang them. Not much sunshine around my place. Hopefully it works so that i can make my MIL one. She wants tomatoes. She will enjoys this for Mothers Day.

It Is Just TV!

Ok I feel stupid. I have been looking hoping and waiting for a new episode of girlfriends and it is gone been gone since February! Now I read that they will not even get a season finale! All that money they brought to your network CW and you drop them. Personally if you did not have girlfriends when you changed from UPN to CW you would not be where you are right now. CW was pumping girlfriends before they began as CW. See how people treat you that is why you have to have your own. Why not start over on TV one! I would stop watching CW altogether if they did not have the Game. That is the only time I watch CW other than that I watch somethingelse we used to have black Mondays! Well if we had it once we will have it again.

Did ABC do the same to Heroes? Did they cancel that show without notification? I can see pushing Daisies (a show on CBS) not coming back it was a fledgling but Heroes. If ER came back why not Heroes, I going to have to go back to reading! Upon further reading Tim Kring gave some reason "With a show like Heroes that's so strongly serialized, and given what we wanted to accomplish with the new storyline, to come back with just three episodes could be creatively dangerous." Whatever!

It is just TV like I tell my daughter. I need to lead by example. Because you see my nerves are all tied up and it is just TV.

New Bag progress

Here is 68 garter ridges. Yesterday I was looking at LV oversized clutch for the Fall 07 and this bag may end up being that. Would it still be a shopper. I was thinking of calling it a shopper clutch. and with the waffel pattern it would have some texture like the LV bag. Although the LV bag is quilted. All I have to do I knit straight and fold it over and bam oversized clutch you don't even have to worry about handles. My heart says tuck stitch will get me that quilted look. I am still hesitant about that waffle pattern. All you can do is try.

Mara is messing with me!

Mara Brock Akil is a ffabulous writer! But she is messing with my emotions. I love how she broke up Derwin and Melanie. And I kinda like the dynamic of the both them wanting to find each other in other people. She through me for a loop with Mel showing up to Derwins house and Lying to the new boyfirend who she just decided to make her boyfriend! Just too much but that is Mara style. What is going on with Girlfriends though! But anyway this is as close as I am going to get to writing a letter to Mara about her jerking me around with her shows! She sets you up then knock you down!

Kinda Selfish

This may be kinda selfish. I know I have a blanket to finish and like 4 pairs of booties but I have started another bag! I cannot help it. My mind was smoking on this pattern so i need to see if what I thought can actually create a bag. I am calling it the waffle shopper. At the moment I am not truly sure about the number of repeats required for the bag i increased by 14 like the pattern writer called for but the numbers are not adding up to me I sent her an email. any way wish me luck!

Forward Progression

Like they say in football forward progression. I have not finished my espadrilles. I have moved on to The Bootie Swap! I am making two pairs of booties for my swap partners who either do not know what they are expecting or would like something gender neutral. So I chose yellow. That is what I am using. When I saw this yellow sock yarn I had to have it. The plan is to make some Saarjtee booties and some garter stitch slippers. Yes I am making a swatch because I want them to be bootie size. The last pair I made fit my baby and she is not a 3 month old baby. So I bit the bullet and I am making a swatch. Now I am only making it 2 1/2 to 3 inches. Hopefully that will do. Actually let me look that up how big a swatch should be. I got time.

Grass Shopper details

Red Heart Soft color Grass
Size 15 circular needles
Two layers of interfacing
Fabric for lining and straps to attach handles
Matching thread
Handles
Patience (lots of patience)

Base:
Using two strands of the yarn held together, CO 3st.
Knit
KFB, K1, KFB
Repeat these two rows until you have 31sts
Knit 20 garter ridges (40 rows)
Next row SSK, knit to the last 2 sts, K2tog
Next Row Knit
Next row SSK, knit to the last 2 sts, K2tog
Repeat these two rows until 3sts remain
Bind off 3 sts. The strip forms the bottom of the bag.

Bag:
Starting at the center cast on edge pick up and knit all sts ending at the center bound off edge. Place marker. Starting at the center bond off edge (where you left off) Pick up and knit all sts ending at the center cast on edge (where you began) place a different color or type marker so that you are able to tell that this is the start of the round. Make sure you have picked up the same number of sts on both sides.

Knit four purl four for four rows. Alternate stitch pattern for the next four rows. Knit where you purled and purl where you knit. Continue to your desired length. I did eight pattern repeats.

Lining and Interfacing: put lining and interfacing together and cut out to your desired size. Sew tighter wrong side together then turn right side out.

Handles: Cut small strips for your lining fabric. Sew together wrong side out then turn right side out. A crochet hook was very helpful to me. Put straps on handles and sew to outside of the bag lining (interface part).

Sew lining to the bag with coordinating thread you may want to fold the edge down some to get a nice edge around the bag.

Viola bag!

I am flattered!

How about I walk into the salon and my stylist says you did not make that bag? You know my green one. I had it in the shop because I was tacking the bottm to get a flat bottom and now I may even take that out. She asked how much do you charge and i said supplies I mean you could not pay for the amount of time I put into that bag. Point is I am flattered!

I am almost finished

The bottom is not flat like I want it. The plan is to tack the bag to the lining and hopefully it will create a flatter bottom. I even made the flap that old the handles!I am amazed at myself! I don't like how you can see the interfacing through the bag. My little $5 handles came in handy! Anyone have any tips on how to minimize the fuzz of acrylic? It looks great now that it is close to completeion I would like another one but man it took alot of work!

Where am I?

Let's see I am almost done with my knitted espadrilles.

You see I have two tops. Why do I have two balls of twine? Well me being grown went to walmart and saw a little ball of jute twine which is what the pattern calls for and I saw saw this large ball of sisal me thinking they were not that much different and the sisal was cheaper I am going with sisal. No. It was so hard to work with I think I got 6 chs and said enough. Next time follow directions but then it would not be me. The other ball I am not even sure it is jute. It is the same color in the pattern. I got it at Target for $1 on the label it said ball of twine it gave no content info. It was a dollar I could at least try it. And it crocheted up pretty nice. But it stinks! it smells like oil or gasoline. But it is working it will be on my feet I do not care! I plan to make a bag with the sisal once i figure out how.

I have 5 ivory centers left to do for my eight rounds before i begin the borders. The all I have left are the two larger squares the 16 and the 20 rounds. I can't wait. Raena has made two blankets in the time it is taking me to make this one! I want to make one like hers, she made a tiramisu. actually a super tiramisu she used a huge hook. I think i will make a white or ivory one. I am making all things for the baby neutral because I do not want to know the sex of the baby till it comes into the world.

Knitted Espadrilles

Here is one of two. This was a really easy pattern. I hope to have the other one by today. without interruptions I may have it complete in 1 hour. I still need twine and and an upholstery needle. my flip flops are a bit small so i am hoping that I do not need any ribbon to keep them on. Let me tell you how easy these are. I want to make many more.